The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, MARCH 7, 1902. PASTORAL PROSPECTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 358, 7 March 1902, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. GISBORNE, MARCH 7, 1902. PASTORAL PROSPECTS.

An English merchant lias written to give New Zealand pastoralists the giim consolation that though prices for the staple product, wool, have gone down, this colony has not suffcrcd so much as other countries, quoting the Argentine for instance. He holds that in making comparisons New Zealanders have been contrasting dull seasons with those when boom prices prevailed. It would he interesting to

kii'jW when there ever was such a li.ing as boom prices for cross-bred v- ools ; there may perhaps have been for the fine merino classes. That, n wever, is not so much the concern at present as the assertion that keener competition is to be expected in the future. We are told that the South American sheepfarmers have been paying extraordinary prices for the best stock from' which to breed* so that the sheep may he large for freezing as well as giving a satisfactory class of wool. There is no denying that when South America is as well prepared with stock and farming appliances as New Zealand, it will become a much more formidable rival than it is at present. A writer in the Sydney Daily Telegraph has been pointing out that the capitalists who have secured the monopoly of supplying frozen meat for the army is not independent of Australia. We fear that such statements are not to be given much credit. In the event of emergency they will be able to secure all the pnat they require from these colonies, and tlic probability is that they will only take what they actually require, their soothing vows notwithstanding. The keen money-makers -,,;iat have the contract in hand are not jjkely to pay a fraction more than thev can help ; they will buy in the cheapest market, and if the quality of the Argentine meat is a shade inferior that will not concern them—the soldiers will have good appetites. The most important phase of the War OTice contract from a New Zealand point of view really seems to be the manner in which the Argentine trade will he developed by the steady demand which will now be made upon it'. When the war is over the growers in the Argentine will have had such a irood start they will then be able to compete on better terms than ever wilii the meat from Australasia, so that lire indications are' that New Zealand growers Cannot expect to do better than they have been doing' until there is some system by which the markets may be regulated.

At the Police Court yesterday, Irefore Mr I? Johnston, J.P.., three “ drunks ” were dealt with.

A public meeting is to be held this evening iii connection with tiie proposed testimonial to the Premier.

Last night Gisborne experienced a fierce dust storm.lasting for about five imputes.

A mob of 2000 freezers is on the way to the Gisborne freezing works from Waihuka station, Mr W, L. Oates being in charge. Captain Edwin wired at 2.33 yesterday : “ North to east and southeast 'gale after 10 hours from now ; glass fall ; heavy rain ; high tides." Telegraphic advice has been received horn the South announcing a still further rise (10s) 'in the price of Hour, which is now quoted at £0 10s per ton, There were about forty couples at the Zealandia Quadrille Assembly last l ight, and a very enjoyable time was spent. .

At the Flower Show last evening an interesting ceremony took place in connection with St. John’s Ambulance Association. Eighteen students who have won passes in 11 first aid ” were presented by His Worship the Mayor with their certificates. In presenting Me awards His Worship spoke in t.-rim;' of the highest praise of the ser-vp-es rendered' by Dr Fisher in the n i tier of preparing the candidates for fhe examination. The following is the list of successful candidates : Mesdames A. Mathias, G. Siddells, M. Hast ; Misses Jessie Pollock, Nora'n Sampson, May Phillips, Marion Shaw, Lenise U'Reu, Dorothy Maunsell, Amy G. Shaw, Jessie Brown. Mabel Hyde, Muriel Humphrey's; Harriet Warren, and Messrs T. i>. Strong, T. H;Garrett, C. H. W. Dixon, C. Sargisson.

A meeting oi' suppliers to the Kia Ora factory is to he held to-night.

In the registration of the birth of a u.ild in Wellington a few days ago the mother’s age was set down as 72 years.

In the 'Wanganui Cup race yesterday a record was made for New Zealand, Nonette finishing in 8-3 sths of a second over the three minutes. A settler in the Levin district has decided to try the experiment of manuring some of his land with sawdust from one of the local mills. The material will be ploughed deeply iutu the soil. Orders have been given by Major Winter, officer commanding, for a parade on Sunday of the Last Coast Mounted Rifles,

the Gisborne Hides, the Gisborne Cadets, and the llitle Band, for the purpose ol attending the memorial service in connection with the deaths of the members ol

the Seventh Contingent. ’.'lie last brick was pttl- in the new 1 ost office building yesterday. Of course tiiere is' a good deal of other v ork yet to do, hut Messrs Webb and Son deserve warm praise for the expeditious way they have pushed on with the work when they got a lair chance to get at it. The annual general meeting of the East Coast Mounted ltillcs will bo held on Saturday, March loth, at the drill-shed. There are a few vacancies in the corps, and anyone desirous of joining should make application to Lieutenant Colebourne or Sergt.-Major Beere, the beginning of the corp’s year being a good time for joining. We express horror at the methods of the War Office. Our blood boils at the thought of influence outweighing ■experience, and the protegees of society ladies passing over the heads of

.rained 1110.1 into positions of imporja .ee in the British Army. But if tin

War Office was one-tenth as had as the New Zealand Defence Department, it would not be tolerated for ten minutes -■ Christchurch Truth. Considerable interest was taken yesterday morning at Messrs O’Reilly Bros.’ stables on the- arrival of Mr E. Murphy’s solid bay stallion Kingston, under the care of Mr John G. Fisher, and the appearance of the horse, notwithstanding that he had been kept in quarantine for three months and two days after reaching Auckland, shows that his mentor had bestowed every attention on him. He is what our American cousins term a saddle and road horse, standing 15 hands o inches, and splendidly proportioned, although naturally not looking so well after his detention and sea trip as he otherwise would undoubtedly do. But there is an old saying that to judge a horse properly you can best see him when a little low in condition, and certainly anyone capable of judging would have to admit that Kingston will bo a welcome addition to the ranks of our sires, and that his advent is one for congratulation. Kingston was sired by Forest Denmark, one of the best noted sires of saddle and road horses in the United States. There was a crowded and apprecia--1 ive audience at the Makauri School concert last evening, when a capital programme was provided, several of our leading local amateurs assisting. Tie opening overture was played in a mi st tasteful manner by Miss Norah Siepehenson. Songs were sung by the Msses McClure, Gardner (2), For belt, Ingleton, and Stephenson, and Messrs Bolton, Mason, and Witters (2). Relations were given by Messrs Phil. Sheridan, Bert Quigley, and 0. Hansen. . During the evening Mr T. Adair gave a number ol excellent gramophone selections-. These were very hignlv appreciated by the audience.. Great credit is due to Messrs W. and G, Witters and Mr S. Bolton for the success of the concert. An excellent sapper was provided by the Makauri Ldies to the performers in their usual hospitable style. The accompaniments during the evening were played by Misses N. Stephenson and McClure. The danger of playing with explosives was sadly illustrated at Parnell son Saturday afternoon. Two boys, A. /Percy and S. Lecky, wtne playing in (he yard of Mr T. Percy, storekeeper, Mamikau road, Parnell, and were evidently experimenting with amateur bombshells. They had taken the powder out of some crackers and placed it in a small bottle, in which a fuse was inserted.* As soon as the fuse was fired the boys wisely ran to shelter. Unfortunately they were not aware that another lad, Its son of Mr R. Mudford, the well-known cabdriver, had been an interested spectator through a crack in the fence. Pie had only a limited View, but, singular to .relate, when the explosion occurred he was the one wno suffered, although nearly 20 yards away. When the explosion took place the bottle was shattered, and one piece evidently went direct for the eras.: through which the hoy Mudford was looking. The unfortunate result was that his eye was so lacerated uuu it had to he removed.

Tho Napier Telegraph states In considering matters of this kind (War Office scandals) it must not be forgotten that to a. very large extent all news wired to us from Auckland when the San Francisco mail arrives there comes from a tainted source. That the papers of the United States generally are among the most unreliable of all those published in the English language is not only admitted by Americans themselves, but is affirmed by them. Among these generally unreliable sheets those representing what are termed the “Yellow” journals of that country have achieved a pre-eminence of dishonor. Utterly discredited in the country of their publication as vehicles for disseminating news, they flourish there because they pander to the lowest tastes by displaying daily the spoils of “ The Man with the Muck-rake.” Their conductors have a keen appreciation of what was summed up in Carlyle’s now historical “ Mostly,” and so long as the baser sort can be successfully appealed to considerations of probity and honor are not allowed to weigh. And, as at present one very successful form of illustrating the financial value of appeals ad captandum vulgus is detraction of the people of the British Isles, their forms of Government, and their Monarchy, those who desire to know the truth of what is happening in Britain place no reliance whatever upon statements culled from Yankee papers and wired throughout New Zealand every time the San Francisco mail arrives in Auckland.

Turanga Church Services. Sunday next: Waimata (with Holy Communion) 11, Waerenga-a-hika 3.15, Makauri 7. Canon Fox.